Just in case you didn’t really get how much I love being a part of the Greek life here at William Woods, I want to take this week’s blog to talk about another great thing that the sororities here offer: Greek families!

If you have older siblings, chances are that you have a “big sister” back home that you might feel sad about leaving. Well, when you join a sorority at WWU, you get another one! Every new girl in the house sorority gets paired up with an older member (sophomore or above) who becomes your “big sis” or simply your “big”. Your big sis is someone you really hit it off with during your first few weeks of school. She is your go-to person in the house, she plays a special role in your initiation ceremony, and she generally ends up being someone you maintain a special connection with for the rest of your college career (and potentially the rest of your life!). When you come back to campus to begin your second year at WWU, you have the chance to experience the relationship from the other side by taking one of the new freshmen as your “little.”

Some people become so close to their bigs/littles that they adopt another term for it: “mom” and “dot” (short for “daughter”). Using these terms helps illustrate the family trees that grow within the sorority—your big’s big sis becomes your “grandbig,” just like your little’s little sis becomes your “grand-little” or “granddot”! Sometimes, a family tree will grow to include aunts, siblings, and great-grandbigs! The fraternities develop similar family trees; every new freshman (or transfer student) gets a “pledge dad”, as an older member you have a chance to get a “pledge son”, and so on.

I know it sounds really complicated at first, but once you join a Greek organization and actually become a part of a family, I promise it starts to make sense! If you’re utterly confused at this point, though, just know that joining a sorority or a fraternity gives you the opportunity to become a part of another family at WWU!

I absolutely love this aspect of Greek life. It gives you an automatic connection with certain members of your organization, and it is always so much fun to watch your family grow every year when new the new freshmen/transfer students arrive!